Ralph Lauren, 1981. Ensemble comprising a pink cable knit jumper, blanket weave wool skirt, striped blouse. Belt of Navajo silver metalwork. Brown mid-calf length boots by Arche.

Ensemble of a pink cable-knit jumper with roll neck; blue striped cotton blouse with centre-front button opening and pie-crust frill at neck, cuffs and down the front; and skirt of multicolour wool check with centre-back zip and clip opening. Inside waistband there are 6 buttons possibly for braces. The lining is of acetate. Worn with brown calf leather boots, mid-calf length, and a belt of 14 silver metal discs decorated with turquoise blue studs.

Given by Jill Ritblat

This ensemble was put together from pieces from Lauren's Fall 1981 'Santa Fe' runway presentation. This was the first collection to be sold through Ralph Lauren's first international store, located at 143 Bond Street, London - also the first time that an European free-standing store for an American designer had been launched.

'Santa Fe' drew inspiration and references from the American Indian, with the accompanying press kit stating:

"Just as Lauren is known for his classics, he is also known for his ability to capture the essence of the American cultural experience...Drawing on the patterns and colors of the Navajo Indians, the American Southwest, and the pioneering spirit of the plains and mountain women, this is a profoundly influential and innovative statement about our [American] roots and our culture... This is beyond fashion; it is what we are about as Americans."

The collection firmly established Lauren as an arbiter of American style. Designs from it were circulated in the nationwide American press, including Vogue, New York Times, WWD (multiple times) and even internationally in British Vogue. The blanket plaid skirt from this ensemble was featured in Harper's Bazaar in October 1981 and Town & Country in August 1981. It originally had a retail price of $318.

Information paraphrased from correspondence with Ralph Lauren Corporation (11/01/2017) (DMC)

In 2005, Jill Ritblat said about this outfit:

"I bought this ensemble in about 1981 in the Ralph Lauren shop in Bond St. We were not so conscious of marketing then but see now that Ralph Lauren's shops were part of his superb marketing strategy, promoting this dream image of nonchalant, fashionable class, and inherited status. At the time the shop in Bond St was irresistible quite simply because it was absolutely beautiful, and quite a new concept for the time. Ready to wear shops had tended to be trendy modern and chic, like Saint Laurent Rive Gauche, but they were definitely shops. That Ralph Lauren shop, as you know, was designed to feel like a fashionable country house, with roaring log fires (gas?), leather armchairs, plants and fitting rooms like a country house dressing room. It even smelt divine - of a sort of woody potpourri, probably by Kenneth Turner, the best florist from the 60s-80s. I believe the shop was decorated for Ralph Lauren by Robin Guild. It drew you into the myth, which was absolutely brilliant, because in England Ralph Lauren was glamorising a quintessential English Country Weekend look, and selling it back to the English.

"The concept of the clothes was also rather retro, looking back past the jeans, skinny sweater and reefer jacket weekend uniform of the time, and the shabby chic of the 60s and 70s to a faraway era of tweedy elegance. In this sense I suppose it was post-modern. I bought the outfit because it fitted, indeed exemplified, the perfect English weekend, and also because I spent a lot of time in Switzerland and the fabrics were warm, and the "smart casual" look - a dress code not yet formulated - were perfect for winter weekends anywhere.

"What I liked about the outfit was the way it used a traditional English idea with comfort, luxury and slightly eccentric chic. The pie frilled shirts were very in at the time and I had several from Margaret Howell and James Drew in the Burlington Arcade. Wool midi skirts were also in, and so were woolly sweaters. But the mix and twist, and even the light touch given by Ralph Lauren was different. The cotton of the shirt was extremely fresh and pretty, (I suppose typical of the freshness the Americans brought into our lives then), the checked mohair of the skirt, soft, warm and comfortable, was very unusual, (and also a bit retro - I hadn't seen mohair since the 50s), plus the surprising pink sweater, both chunky i.e. relaxed/informal, and fitted i.e. cute/alluring, and the whole thing given a twist with the Navaho silver and turquoise belt. It was a sort of a first - as if the kind of very stylish, even amusing Englishwoman you had forgotten about but you knew must still exist in a remote castle, had picked out the very prettiest fabrics from a huge number of sources and travels, and added a dash of exoticism and sophistication with the very un-English silver belt. Unlike a lot of very classic English country wear which might be the epitome of good taste, but can be severe, unflatteringly cut, and often scratchy, it was very unserious, unusual, comfortable and chic. It doesn't look much now, but it was surprising and delightful, and I remember it made me feel cheerful when I wore it.

"I wore it with the natural leather boots from Arche. I mostly bought my Ralph Lauren ensembles in London, but I also have quite a few that I bought in New York, which had a bigger choice of his summer clothes."

- From email sent in April 2005. (DMC)

Reason For Production: Retail

T.509:1 to 6-2000